Wireless communications networks have found great utility in many commercial and military applications. However, some types of wireless networks become less efficient in transmitting information when a large number of nodes are attempting to communicate thereon.
Previous efforts to increase the efficiency of a wireless network have included the following, all of which are assigned to the same entity as the present application and which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,949,760, entitled “Simultaneous Channel Access Transmission Method and a Multi-Hop Communications Radio Network”;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,868, titled “Dynamic Distributed, Multi-Channel Time Division Multiple Access Slot Assignment Method for a Network of Nodes”;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,186, titled “A Method and Apparatus for Managing Communication Resources Using Bootstrap Slots”;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,504,829, titled “A Method and Apparatus for Managing Communication Resources Using Channelized Neighborhoods”;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,628,636, titled “A Method and Apparatus for Managing Communication Resources Using Neighbor Segregation”;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,436, titled “A Method and Apparatus for Managing Communication Resources Using an Adaptive Broadcast Cycle (ABC)”;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,973, titled “Unifying Slot Assignment Protocol Multiple Access System”;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,206, titled “A Method and Apparatus for Managing Communication Resources Using Speculation Slots”;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,600,754, titled “A Method and Apparatus for Managing Communication Resources Using Standby Slots”; and
U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,199, titled “Unifying Slot Assignment Protocol Logical Neighborhooding”.
One way of dealing with high network density is to segregate groups of nodes onto separate channels, thereby reducing the number of nodes that need to share any one channel. Another reason to isolate a group of nodes on a separate channel is for exchanging routine communications in support of a common mission. In either case, it is challenging to coordinate communications between nodes of different channels.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a communications network that efficiently manages a large number of nodes.
It is another object of the invention to provide a communications network that efficiently manages a plurality of nodes on a plurality of channels.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a communications network that effectively coordinates communications between nodes on different channels.
A feature of the invention is the use of bootstrap slots on a common channel to coordinate inter-channel coordination, and an additional series of bootstrap slots on each channel, broadcast to nodes within one hop of a broadcast node, to coordinate intra-channel communications.
An advantage of the invention is the easy incorporation of heuristics to increase the efficiency of communications in a wireless network.